Dental Hygienist
A dental hygienist cleans teeth, checks for oral diseases like gingivitis. They try to educate their patients by teaching them good health habits( "Summary."). They put sealants and fluorides to keep your teeth protected. They keep records of your treatment plans, and take X-Rays of your teeth, that will also let the dentist know if you are going to need surgery to get a tooth pulled, or if you are in need of braces. Dental hygienist will tell you how important hygiene is, what you need to become a dental hygienist and get other point of views from a dental hygienist.
Career Requirements and Qualifications
The minimum education that is required for this career is there are entry level programs that are official by the commission
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of Dental Accreditation, an official agency that that is recognized by the U.S. Department of education. There are also levels for becoming a dental hygienist such as a certificate, associate's degree like an Associate of Applied Science in dental hygiene or a bachelor's degree. The amount of school that is required to be a dental hygienist is only 2 years. The cost for an average estimated total tuition cost and fees for an associate's degree is $30,155. A bachelor's degree is $40,207. A master's degree is $23,133. If you are wanting to attend a small community college the cost is just $5,000 for a degree program. If you are wondering where you could get more experience with this career you can go on tours in the dental program at the colleges you are interested in. The skills that you need to acquire for this job are, good talking and listening skills. When you are giving your patient instructions on how to care for their teeth and gum health. You want to make sure you are speaking loud and clear to where they can record the information you are giving. It is also important to listen very carefully in case the patient has an important question and you are listening very closely so that you can answer their question. I have always maintained a clean healthy mouth. I have always enjoyed keeping my teeth clean, and I would love to help someone else feel confident about their smile. Working Conditions and Salary Working conditions as a dental hygienist are positive, and a very sterile environment. Dental hygienist can suffer from sickness if they don't keep a mask on if a patient comes in sick. The yearly salary range is $71,000 The starting salary in this career is an average of $32.49 an hour. The location for a dental hygienist can affect how much money they make. If you want to attend a small community college the cost is just $5,000 for a degree program. The benefits as a dental hygienist are a lot of dentist offices are closed on Fridays or that they close early on Fridays. If your employer thinks you are a valuable employee you might get raises more often or possibly even bonuses throughout the year. Another benefit your training that you need to continue your education can be paid by your employer. Pay close attention to what you chose to write on your resume, that can be a huge break of deciding whether you get chosen to work as a dental hygienist. You need to be prepared for anything your employer may throw at you. Dentist will rely a lot on the hygienist to get the job quicker so it is best to practice anything your employer gives you so you can help them out and they will be relieved to have someone to rely on that can part of their job when they need help. Typical Day A typical day as a dental hygienist is looking at patients medical records to see what patients they have to get ready for.
The usual working hours can last 30 to 40 hours a week. Having a good patient with a perfect check up such as flossing and brushing properly is one of the best parts of the day. Some challenging days at work would be having a little kid that bites you and you can't scold them or you will sometimes get a special needs patient that you will have to be extremely friendly to because they will get scared more easily so the best thing would be to have have more patience with them and they will do just fine. Even if you are already worked hard to get the job you are in you have to work even harder to maintain this career. You need to act like you are being interviewed even if you have been in your career for 2 years. When you have fun with your job you won't find work so stressful. I can't wait to be in college so I can start this dream of mine that I want to be very successful …show more content…
in. Future Needs for the Career As the dental hygiene career grows the job prospects are excellent. The needs in the future are dentist offices are going to be in need of more dental hygienist. New opportunities for dental hygienist will expand in community centers, health care organizations and retail locations.The need for dental hygienist is very great in underdeveloped countries where they have little or no knowledge of dental hygiene. Interests in the Career I have always enjoyed maintaining a beautiful white smile and I would love to make someone confident about their smile. My mom asked me what I was interested in one day and then I sat there and thought about it, a few minutes later I realized how much I loved teeth. I can go on free college tours to get to know my career more. Personal Interview I interviewed Marcel Radcliff.
She started working in health care in 2002 she was always around dentist and dental hygienist and she became more interested in learning about teeth so she asked a dentist she knew what all it would take to become a dental hygienist she stayed in school for a few more years got her associate's degree and now she is glad she stayed in school just a few years longer because she loves what she does. I asked her if she was ever afraid she wasn't going to be good enough as a dental hygienist she said “I never struggled in school but you should never think you aren't smart enough to chase after you dream some of the people I work with weren't very good in school but have made wonderful employees.” “If you are not able to persuade the interviewer that you are a great candidate for a job, some links you answered could give your interviewer the wrong impression of you just from looking at your resume. “If you want to improve your chances at for sure getting a job, then you should go for job interviews with less candidates.” She made me feel more confident about my career and she made me believe I can do anything I want I just have to work hard at what I want. She said that I “should choose a good college, make sure it's an accredited program and make sure the dentist is knowledgeable enough to teach you something you are not certain
of.” Conclusion In conclusion dental hygienist help you achieve a very important part of health care. Dental hygienist will tell you how important hygiene is, what you need to succeed in this career and get other point of views from a dental hygienist. Pay close attention to what you chose to write on your resume, that can be a huge break of deciding whether you get chosen to work as a dental hygienist.
Dental hygiene is amongst many professions that come with an increased risk of injury. In fact, evidence suggests that the incidence of dental professionals acquiring musculoskeletal disorders is reaching 96%. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), these complications are a result of “repetitive motion or awkward posture for more than 2 hours at a time, unassisted frequent manual handling (eg, scaling an area using the same strokes), and unassisted forced manual handling (eg, heavy calculus removal using hand-activated instruments)”. These complications not only affect the quality of life for the
Some people tend to believe that a dentist is all about pulling teeth, filling gaps, and drilling holes in a mouth. That may be true, but this is more about the person that treats a patient prior to a dentist drilling into a mouth. Dental Hygienists provide more than just the basic examination. They also give advice on how to properly brush and floss, the types of foods to avoid, and give examples of what teeth could look like if not taken care of correctly. A dental hygienist provides preventive, therapeutic, restorative and educational interventions to promote optimal oral health.
They then should look over the charts at the patient’s situation with their teeth and see what medical treatment they need. They then bring the patient in and perform the treatment. Lastly, they charge the patient for the certain treatments, like the cleaning, and then for say a filling, they will charge them separately, and then the patient will leave. Soon after, they will start all over again. Furthermore, there are a lot of skills required to be a Dental Hygienist, but yet simple ones.
From an early age, I wanted to have a career where I can help people, good working, and financially stable. That is why I chose Dental Hygiene. My dedication to pursuing my dreams has been tested though the competitive prerequisites that I needed to take before I can get in to the program. I needed to maintain A’s and B’s, in order to qualify to be into the pool of applicants to be chosen. I had 3.4 G.P.A and I was confident that I am going to be accepted.
When most people think of dental hygienists, the first and only thing they think about it cleaning and whitening teeth. However, that is mainly what dental hygienists do, but they also learn to do a lot more than that. According the occupational outlook handbook, hygienists clean teeth, examine patients for signs of oral diseases such as gingivitis, and provide other preventative dental care. They also educate patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral health. As explained on American Dental Association, the dental hygienist...
The best description of a dental hygienist is a professional whose main job is to teach their patients necessary oral hygiene skills and provide great dental care. They perform various tasks around a dentist’s office such as applying fluoride treatments, removing plaque and stains, taking x-rays, removing sutures, placing temporary fillings, and evaluating the patient’s overall health (“Dental Hygienist” Coin Career). Dental hygienists do not just work in a dental office, but they also can work at schools, nursing homes, health clinics, and many other dental settings. Close contact is necessary when doing this job. Working with people is an everyday thing in this profession, so one must be able to communicate and get along with their clients very well. Having certain traits such as excellent hand-eye coordination and great motor skills are very important to posses since dental hygienists work on their patients mouths (Porterfield 4). Communication is vital since dental hygienists are constantly teaching patients how to hav...
Registered dental hygienists (RDHs) are a lisenced health professional, who prevent and treat some oral diseases, promote the prevention of dental care, and provide education to the patients. In clinical point of view, the RDHs perform health care assessments, such as reviewing medical/dental health histories, measuring vital signs, taking radiographs, examining dental caries/chart and periodontal chart, removing plaque biofilm and calculus, prophylaxis, and fluoride treatment. Moreover, the RDH also educates the patients the proper techniques of brushing and flossing to maintain oral health.Another important issue is to counsel the patients the healthy nutrition for protecting the oral health.
Dental hygienists often describe their careers as rewarding, being able to be with patients on a one on one basis is very intimate and gratifying. When you ask a dental hygienist what technology impacts their everyday experience it is almost a comical reaction. There has been many advances technologically in the dental field, however, most end up benefitting the dentist. Dental hygiene is still fueled by good old fashioned elbow grease. It takes experience and education to be able to identify what needs to be cleaned on a patient’s teeth and there is not an instrument to substitute that. In 1987 Dr. Francis Mouyen introduced the first digital radiography machine (IIic & Stojanovic, 2012, p.81). This has proven to be a significant advancement for dental hygienists. It has enabled them to do their job more efficiently. Digital dental x-rays have revolutionized the dental hygiene profession because hygienists no longer have to wait to develop the film, they are able to take 3-D images which helps diagnose periodontal disease more effectively, and they are able to send the films in digital format to other professionals, which allows them to communicate about a patients care in a more
I am applying for dental hygiene as I think dental hygienist is as essential as the dentist to prevent patients from tooth decay, gum disease and to maintain the oral health.
The elderly community is rapidly increasing. This is one of the major causes for increased health problems and inability for these patients to comply with medical standards. Oral hygiene, among others, is one of the most disregarded. As one’s age increases dental hygiene becomes more and more important to maintain a healthy lifestyle because the elderly are more susceptible to infections and diseases of the oral cavity that can easily spread through-out the body.
Dentistry is a branch of healthcare unlike any other and I sincerely yearn for a larger role within it. Day after day, people come into our practice in
The name of my career is general dentist and I chose it because I enjoy to help people have a perfect smile and have good hygiene in their mouth. My long term goal is to attend a 4-year institution, and earn the degrees necessary to become a general dentist. In 10 years from now I want to view related teeth issues using dental materials. My assessment results state that my personality type is sensing and intuitive. My career interests are careers that give me an excellent way to start thinking about composition, or how all the different elements of an image, work of art, or other objects are arranged and work together. Something I want in a career is that it will allow me to interact with others, and that it will let me be in control of my own schedule. Something that is important to me in work is that I like to become aware of specific facts and concrete details, also to focus on the big picture and hunches. In the career appealing to me I learned that I don’t
The career that I have chosen to do my research on is Dentistry which falls in the career pathway of Health Science. Dentistry falls under the Therapeutic Services part of the pathway. Dentists diagnose gum and teeth diseases and they try to treat them to make them better. They try to teach patients how to take care of their teeth better. Dentists have the ability to put people on anesthesia to help the patients not feel pain when they get teeth pulled and stuff like that. My career choice of Dentistry relates to my Interests Assessment very well because my top pathway is Health Informatics and dentistry falls in that pathway. For my Skills Assessment it is pretty much the same ordeal as my Interest Assessment. Health Informatics is the top career pathway for that assessment and density falls in it. For my Work Value Assessment having a high income was at the top of my list and being a dentist will give me that opportunity. Prestige and Workplace are the other two categories after Income on my list. Being a dentist's would give me a good feeling that people are proud of me. After completing a job I would feel accomplished if I helped the patient feel better. For Workplace it would be easy to have a comfortable workplace because you are in charge of the place if you work there. I would have control over what furniture is their and who works in my office if I owned a place.
“The duties and responsibilities of a dentist include diagnosing, treating, and providing preventative and restorative care for problems that affect their patients mouths and teeth” (Kool Smiles). Many people think that going to the dentist is just so that their teeth can be cleaned professionally. What many do not know is that a visit to the office is also assuring that the mouth does not have any infections or diseases. “Dentists are expected to instruct patients on treatment, brushing, and flossing” (FEG.INFOBASE).
As a young child I was always told that my teeth were difficult to work with. They said my teeth were not align well and when I had a loose tooth it was hard to fall off by itself, so a visit to the dentist was necessary. Interestingly, all this comments about my teeth were not made by dentists. When I did go to the dentist, the doctor and his staff were always happy to work with me, I too enjoyed it. My insecurities regarding my teeth were gone and I started to embrace them, but maybe too much. I used to spend 30 minutes every day in front of the mirror flossing, brushing my teeth and analyzing how my orthodontic treatment could go. After visits to my dentist and orthodontist as a teenager, I told my parents that a career in dentistry was what I wanted to do. From that moment I felt committed to this career path and to make everyone comfortable with their smiles when I achieved my goal of becoming a dentist.